Australasian Viral Hepatitis Elimination Conference September 2019

A report back on Kate Allardice's session Jack of All Trades – a nursing experience of Hep C treatment outreach work in the TAP study. 

As nurses working with vulnerable and difficult to engage communities, we are constantly looking for new ways to become a Jack of all trades. Kate and her team’s innovative program is an exemplary example of how we can create new models of care & remove barriers.

Kate and her team had the innovative idea of setting up a van that is equipped to perform hepatitis C screening, treatment, follow up and monitoring. This allowed them to access those vulnerable people on the streets who were difficult to engage in mainstream health services, particularly IVDUs. By meeting client’s on their terms and in a place that is familiar and comfortable to them, the team were able to remove a significant barrier to care.

A report back on Mim O'flynn's session Towards a cure on the inside. ​

No one could help but be inspired by Mim’s passion for nursing and nurse-led models of care. Returning to the fold, as it were, after many years away from nursing, she displayed an enthusiasm and vigor to the room that was inspiring.  She has achieved outstanding results in just over 12 months providing “in-reach” HCV screening and treatment at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre (AGCC). The AGCC is a privately run, high security remand centre that holds 1187 adult male prisoners waiting for sentencing.

A report back on Rebecca Brereton and Bradley Whitto's session Integrating hepatitis C care within community mental health and addiction services. 

An innovative model of care between a Nurse Practitioner and Hepatology Nurse. Rebecca Brereton and Bread Whitten are employed by The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Vic. Both nurse specialists who have set up a nurse-led Hep C clinic within the Psychiatry and AOD service. Their aim is to provide access to DAA’s whilst educating the broader Psychiatry/AOD teams and increasing their confidence in prescribing, with a hope to reduce the burden of disease amongst this vulnerable group of people.

A report back on Marrianne Blacks Hepatitis B and the CALD community: A unique community based nursing model of care utilising Bi-Lingual community health workers.

Majority of CALD communities in Australia originate from areas with high prevalence of Hep B and majority of them are completely unaware of their Hep B status until their arrival in Australia where the diagnosis is made. After the diagnosis most of them are clueless what it to is and what it means their lives. When they are under perception that it is acquired through sex it can lead to a marriage breakdown, leaving them alienated by families and friends. This is compounded by the failure of GP’s to explain adequately to patients about the disease process, what it means to them, long-term plan management and surveillance that is required when they have the virus.